The most-respected No argument barely defended Palestine Action at all. It called the situation “an absolutely ludicrous situation” and dwelt on the arrests of people holding signs, while Yes won the vote comfortably on a narrower claim: that sabotage is not protest.
The top Yes case was a charge sheet, listing a sledgehammer used on a police officer and damage to infrastructure. Others were cooler. “Thousands campaign for Palestinian rights legally and peacefully every day,” wrote one voter, arguing proscription protects lawful dissent. Another set the line at the base: “If they stuck to just protesting then obviously not”.
No voters came at it from two directions. One minimised the act, “Throwing paint on a military plane is hardly terrorism”, and a reply that the aircraft was merely private and leased drew a pointed Yes rebuttal that it wore RAF livery and was used in current operations. Others spoke of embarrassment and a government made “a laughing stock”.
The sharpest No line was almost a concession. One voter wanted the ban kept so the country could see how ridiculous it is, which shows how much of the No case concerned how the law is applied rather than the aircraft. Yes voters mostly answered with the base break-in, and the question of who gets arrested went largely unargued by them.
The debate ran heated on both sides, and it kept returning to one fact: what happened to those aircraft.
72 Opinions
PA has committed over 300 criminal offences in UK including hitting a police WOMAN on her spine with a sledgehammer and has cost us £BILLIONS of damage to our infrastructure. Destroying our historical monuments art & preventing us getting to work including ambulances etc. Everyone of them shoukd receive the max prison sentence 11 years we don't want or need more TERRORIST in UK DEPORT them to an islamist country see how long they last!
Yes. Who wrote the argument against, Che Guevara? Apparently sabotaging military aircraft and causing deliberate criminal damage is now just peaceful protest! There is a world of difference between lawful dissent and organised attacks on defence infrastructure. Freedom of expression does not grant immunity from criminal accountability. The right to protest must be protected, but so must national security. Challenge government policy through democratic means, not sabotage.
You can support Palestine or criticize Israel without resorting to terrorism or sabotage. Thousands campaign for Palestinian rights legally and peacefully every day. When an organization sabotages RAF military aircraft, it crosses the line into terrorism under the law. Proscribing the group stops criminal sabotage while protecting lawful, democratic protest.
An absolutely ludicrous situation. A complete embarrassment to the UK to find ourselves in the position where gangs of black clad masked fascists can rampage around the place intimidating people and causing trouble and NOTHING happens. BUT we're arresting grannies for holding signs and demanding Israel stop committing genocide
Palestine Action is a violent, secretive cell-based organisation that the government has shown at the Court of Appeal meets the criteria for proscription. If it wasn't for the left's cause du jour, there would be no question that this terrorist organisation should remain proscribed.
Yes. The terrorists of Palestinian Action have destroyed millions of pounds worth of UK military assets, have used sledgehammers to break the backs of Police officers and conducted scores of violent criminal damage attacks on private property with the intent of terrorising businesses and the public. Those who support them should be jailed. That many of them are also racists only compounds their crimes. Edited
Damaging property may not be considered terrorism but breaking into a secure military site and damaging the equipment which is there to defend the country is.
They took the decision to damage military aircraft. This is the consequence.
Free Palestine. From Hamas. Again, they're facemasked up and tend to be violent. If they want to free Palestine, I'll book them a flight over, one way, and they can join the fight.
Absolutely. They vandalised military equipment.